An Affair to Remember

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You may be looking for the Stargate Atlantis story An Affair to Remember -- McShep Style.

Fanfiction
Title: An Affair to Remember
Author(s): Meg Lewtan
Date(s): August 1989
Length:
Genre(s): slash
Fandom(s): The Professionals
Relationship(s): Bodie/Doyle
External Links:

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An Affair to Remember is a 60-page Bodie/Doyle AU story by Meg Lewtan.

first page

The story's inspiration was the 1957 film of the same name.

It has a sequel called Heir Apparent.

Reactions and Reviews

1990

[Felicity M. Parkinson]:

I must say something about Meg Lewtan's writing because you say she writes a terrific Bodie. This is not to 'get at' Meg Lewtan because I think she has a lot going for her in terms of writing ability. However, I find her view of the characters becoming more and more unacceptable. B & D seem to fly into a temper at the least provocation, Bodie is constantly having hurt feelings or apologising to Doyle in case he's hurt his tender feelings. Doyle is little more than a doormat. As for Murphy, he is so noble and understanding I feel I'm drowning in syrup. A number of her stories also sound either as if they've been rushed through or that she's lost interest halfway. I wouldn't have believed that anyone could make the Scarlet Pimpernel boring but Traitor's Fate did just that. In An Affair to Remember, the story suddenly tailed off after a promising beginning, Bodie regaining almost full health within a very short space of time. Its sequel, Heir Apparent, had a number of good plot lines, all of which were virtually thrown away. Please, Meg, think again about the characters and take a bit more time over the stories. [1]

It'd be interesting if people would indicate how their reading tastes have changed over the years. I know mine have changed greatly. I used to think Meg Lewtan's stories were the greatest thing since sliced bread, until I read too many of them (overkill, maybe? Overexposure?). But what really began to turn me off is that I finally realized all her stories have basically the same tired plot, and all of them extol the virtues of Saint Bodie, which becomes so very tedious after awhile. And what really grates most of all is after reading a number of her stories is her style of story-telling. She tells far too much, rather than showing. Lengthy paragraphs of narration, as opposed to action and dialogue, become very wearing after awhile. It's very annoying to read the account from one character's p.o.v., only to find the same situation recounted from the other guy's p.o.v....there's way too much "internalizing" for both Bodie and Doyle, it's totally unnecessary (the readers really don't need every little thing spelled out for them!), and she's been writing for long enough now that you'd think she'd know better. The most recent of her stories I've read was AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, and I could barely get through it because of the stylistic problems (also her same, tired old plot devices). This is one author I feel has been vastly over-rated for years now. [2]

1992

On the subject of escapism and unhappy endings: I believe I've made my position clear in previous letters, but I'd like to say again that for me escapism includes sad endings, death stories, etc. I have nothing against permanent damage to one of them — have you read 'An Affair To Remember' and its sequel, 'Heir Apparent'? Bodie is permanently impaired, and yet "he's so interestingly depicted, so courageous and stubborn, that I did not feel the story was a disservice to the character. And he does find happiness with Doyle in this story. [3]

2012

Have you read An Affair To Remember by Meg Lewtan? There the author just uses the 'idea' of the film, but changes the surrounding completely. It fits into the CI5 world.[4]

References

  1. ^ from Short Circuit #3 (October 1990)
  2. ^ from a fan in Short Circuit #3 (October 1990)
  3. ^ from Be Gentle With Us #8
  4. ^ 2012 comments at CI5hq, where fans were discussing The Ghost and Raymond Doyle